Absence of Specificity
by Brilliant But Insane
Summary: It's been 2 years since inception, and Ariadne has moved on with her life. She's engaged and she's happy. What more could she want? People from her past start trying to squirm their way into her life again, and she's sucked right back in again. A/A
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My first fanfiction for Inception. Feel free to leave any comments in a review. Constructive criticism appreciated!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inception.

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><p>One.<p>

Five months is one hundred and fifty days. In one hundred and fifty days, there is three thousand and six hundred hours. That's two hundred and sixteen thousand minutes, which makes for twelve million, ninety-six hundred thousand seconds. Time never seems like much until you start to break it down. And twelve million ninety-six hundred thousand seconds? Just imagine how much time that would be in dream time.

It took Ariadne that much time to give up hopes of ever having an experience like the Fischer job again. She resigned herself to finishing her degree and resuming a normal life.

It's been two years now. She's thought a lot about everyone since they attempted inception.

She reads about Saito sometimes in the newspapers. Business seems to be going really well. She hoped that Cobb was finally reunited with his kids. He better not leave them again, or she swore she would kill him. Yusuf and Eames were probably enjoying life down in Mombasa, with Yusuf giving others the dream-sharing experience. She could see Eames at a bar, trying to charm his way into a woman's pants. And Arthur.. She couldn't even imagine what he was doing. Whatever he was doing, his appearance would be immaculate. His hair would be slicked back and he would have one of his three-piece suits on. His tie would be a solid maroon against a crisp white dress shirt.

"Ariadne?" called her boyfriend. Fiancé, she corrected herself.

"Yes?" she said.

"You need to get ready for the party," Jared said.

"Some party," Ariadne muttered as she stepped inside and off the balcony. She already knew what she was going to wear. She was going to wear a gorgeous red dress that cut off at about mid-thigh. There were two straps and this other part of the dress that wraps around, and it was one of the most expensive dresses she's ever owned. Along the dress, she put on some black stilettos and pearl earrings that her grandma gave her. Ariadne wasn't too fond of makeup. Most days she didn't even wear _any_, but today was an important business party full of rich business people. She dabbed on her concealer and added some mascara. She applied a pale pink lipstick, and she was done.

"Ready, darling?" Jared asked. He held out his arm for her to grab. It annoyed her slightly when she heard the term "darling". It reminded her of Eames, that suave British forger. She pasted a smile on her face and took his arm. Her engagement ring glimmered in the light. She was instantly reminded that once they were married, she would have to go to boring business events with Jared all the time.

She was starting to wonder if she wanted to do this for the rest of her life. She was starting to question whether she truly loved Jared, or if she said yes because she had felt a sense of obligation. She was starting to have doubts about her life.

Was she truly happy?

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><p>Ariadne listened to the hum of polite conversations. She excused herself from the current discussion about oil prices, or whatever they were talking about. She found the women at the party dull and lifeless. They were mostly, if not all, trophy wives. Didn't they have hopes and dreams of their own? Ariadne supposed they did, but wherever they were, they were squashed down into a pretty little package and put away in a deep crevice somewhere in their brains.<p>

There was a tap on her shoulder.

"Hello, Ariadne," said a familiar voice. Her mood brightened a little at the prospect of having an interesting conversation.

"Saito!" she exclaimed. A few curious looks were shot their way because of the sudden loudness.

In a lot lower voice, Ariadne asked, "How's the business going?"

"More than fine since Fischer dissolved the company," Saito replied. Ariadne frowned slightly.

"He's doing fine," Saito assured her, "I've heard that he's starting his own chain of hotels in the States."

"That's good," Ariadne said with relief. She had always been worried that they might have ruined Fischer's life. It seemed that the others had no qualms about what they were doing, but Ariadne had always felt differently.

"Have you had any contact at all with the others?" asked Saito.

"None," she said with bitterness. Her sour tone was barely noticeable, and had escaped Saito's attention.

"I've heard that Arthur's in Paris."

"Really?"

She could still remember his last words to her before she boarded her plane back to Paris.

_"I'll be in touch," he said seriously, "There's always a need for an architect." _

_"You promise you won't forget about me?" Ariadne had said desperately. After an experience like that, how could she possibly go back to a normal life? _

_"I promise," he said with a slight smile. _

Some promise. He never called, emailed, or mailed anything. He didn't have anyone pass along a message or anything. She realized how naive she had been, believing that Arthur would keep in contact with her. She had been foolish in believing his promise. He had probably just said that to reassure her.

"Ariadne, darling," Jared called, "It's time to leave now."

"It's been a pleasure meeting you again, Ariadne," Saito said quietly, so as not to be overheard by Jared or others.

"Remember, Arthur's in town and Eames is only in England," he reminded me, "If you need help, they'll help you."

Saito handed me a note with everyone's phone numbers.

"Thank you," she whispered, even though she probably would never use it. Saito had always been kind to her. He was a ruthless businessman, but he was always courteous. Jared came, and he took me home. As Ariadne got out of the car, her totem fell. It landed with a clang, and she flinched.

"What's that?" Jared asked curiously.

"Just something," she mumbled while wiping it clean of any dirt that might have gotten onto it.

"Is it a lucky charm or something?" he reached out to touch it. The moment he reached out, she instantly remembered what someone had told her long ago.

_" Nah, I can't let you touch it, that would defeat the purpose. See only I know the balance and weight of this particular loaded die. That way when you look at your totem, you know beyond a doubt you're not in someone else's dream." _

"Don't!" Ariadne blurted and jerked backwards.

"It won't be lucky anymore if someone else touches it," she explained lamely when he stared at her. Jared nodded as if he understood. When he moved to give her a goodnight kiss, she turned her head to the side. Jared gave her a confused look.

"Goodnight," she said curtly.

Ariadne nearly ran into her apartment and shut the door. She didn't bother inviting Jared in. Not today.

Two years without the PASIV, but Ariadne still carried her totem everywhere. She checked it mostly out of habit now, not because of the worry that her reality wasn't real. It landed with a reassuring thunk, and she grasped it tightly. Sleep was almost impossible for her without the metal bishop. With the bishop still in her hand, she closed her eyes and drifted into an unsatisfying sleep.

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><p>Arthur clutched the phone. What on earth did Saito mean?<p>

_"You should visit her. See how she's doing." _

Of course, he had answered. Arthur had planned on seeing her anyway. What Saito said next puzzled him.

_"Don't ruin things for her." _

Arthur had no clue what that was supposed to mean, and the Japanese businessman had hung up right after. Arthur checked his reflection in the mirror. His hair was gelled back like always, and he was wearing one of his signature three-piece suits. His face held no trace of any of the nervousness he was feeling. It's been two years since he last talked to Ariadne, and he was going to talk to her again today. He wondered if she changed.

He wondered if she still dreamed.

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><p>If you guys want to see Ariadne's dress, search up<strong> bridget dress rent the runway <strong>on Google. It should be the first picture.

Feedback would be appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I read over the first chapter and noticed that the beginning was a little confusing. The first paragraph or so was talking about how much time it took Ariadne to get on with her life, then the next paragraph jumps to two years later (before it was five months). Just thought I'd clear up any confusion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inception.

Two.

She was ordering coffee when he saw her. She had looked around a few times, but didn't spot him. He was relieved. If she spotted him, then he would _have_ to talk to her. If she didn't, he could be a coward and walk away.

He had planned to talk to her a week ago. Then he realized that in a city like Paris, he might never find her. He spent the last week or so practically _stalking _her, though he'd never admit it.

And there she was. Ariadne, one of the most captivating person he ever had the pleasure of meeting was standing at the counter buying coffee.

She turned around, spotted him, and dropped her coffee. He hoped that happened because of shock, and not because she thought he was so horrendous looking that the sight of him made her drop her coffee.

He bought her a new coffee before speaking.

"Hello," Arthur greeted. They started walking.

"Hi."

"It's been a while," Arthur said.

"Saito said you were in town," Ariadne stated. She seemed disconnected from the conversation.

"Just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing," Arthur said.

"Why?" Ariadne asked. There was a slight hint of animosity in her tone.

"To see how you were doing," he replied.

"I'm perfectly fine," Ariadne said shortly. They turned a corner and crossed the street.

"Can you still dream?" Arthur asked curiously as they entered a store.

"Not good ones," Ariadne muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I seem to only dream up nightmares," she said while browsing through some scarves. She examined one closely. It was red with white flowers placed at random.

"Let me buy it for you," Arthur offered. Ariadne ignored him and moved on to the next rack covered in ties. She held up a blue tie with lighter blue diagonal stripes against him. Ariadne tilted her head.

"It looks nice, don't you think?" Ariadne asked, "But it is a little expensive."

"It's fine," Arthur said. He was a little annoyed now at Ariadne's behavior. She was running away from him without actually running away.

"This green tie is nice to," she mused. She held the two ties up and tilted her head again.

"Which one do you like better?" Ariadne asked. Arthur stared at her. What was wrong with her? She turned back to looking at the ties before he could answer.

"I do like the blue one better," she mumbled to herself.

"Ariadne, we need to talk," Arthur told her.

"We are talking," she said absently. Arthur grabbed her wrist.

"No, we're not."

"Yes, we are."

She tried to snatch her wrist out of his grip, but he just held on tighter.

"Ariadne.."

"Let me go!" she yelled. People turned and stared at the commotion. A saleswoman came over and Arthur let go.

"Are you having some trouble?" she asked politely.

"No," Arthur answered tersely. Ariadne walked away to purchase the scarf and ties, and Arthur followed her. They stood in silence while the cashier tallied up the cost. Arthur moved to pay, but Ariadne was too fast and she handed over the cash before him. Arthur shot her a look, and Ariadne glared.

"Could I get these two wrapped up please?" Ariadne asked the cashier sweetly.

"I could have paid for that," Arthur told her.

"Shut up," Ariadne snapped.

They waited in a stony silence. The cashier returned with the two wrapped up ties, and they exited the store together. The walk back to Arthur's car was tense, and Ariadne wanted to do nothing but flee. She snuck a glance at Arthur. His face was passive, but Ariadne could sense he was annoyed. She focused on her shoes and began counting the steps.

_One, two, three. _

How many steps would it take for one of them to break the silence? She was betting on six.

_Four, five, six. _

Neither person said anything. Ariadne decided to bet on ten this time.

_Seven, eight, nine, ten._

Arthur was speculating on if he should speak first. But why should he? After all, she was the one who was angry. They reached Arthur's car, and he opened the passenger door for her. She got in without any complains, and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want another scene, especially not in a bustling public area. In Arthur's immaculately clean car, Ariadne was suddenly self-conscious. Her brown boots were scuffed and dusty. Her jeans suddenly seemed way too casual compared to Arthur's suit, and her shirt was a lot more wrinkly than it should have been. Ariadne began to fiddle with her scarf out of discomfort. Arthur got into the car and started driving. It took a few minutes of absolute quiet before he spoke.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said. Ariadne looked at him in surprise.

"What?" she asked. It was the kind of 'what' that didn't mean that you didn't hear, but that you wanted whatever the other person said repeated again for clarification. In this context, it is when the person, Ariadne in this case, doesn't believe what she has heard.

"I'm sorry," he repeated with his eyes looking straight forward at the road. Ariadne gaped at him before narrowing her eyes.

"Sorry for what?" she asked.

"Anything I did to make you so riled up," Arthur replied. If Ariadne was angry before, now she was positively _furious_. How dare he seek forgiveness without even knowing what he was apologizing for? Ariadne was ready to get out at the next stoplight.

"You don't even know what you did?" she hissed. Ariadne had a whole list full of his crimes against her. Granted, most of them, if not all, were from two years ago, but how could Arthur not know what he did?

"I'm sorry that I don't know every single thought that pops into your head," Arthur said.

"Well, I'm sorry that you're such a jerk!" Ariadne exploded. She moved to open the door, but it was locked. A good thing too, thought Arthur. The car was still moving, and if she had gotten out, she would have hurt herself. Ariadne let out a muffled scream. Arthur pulled over with a screech. They were out of Paris now. Before Ariadne could open the doors, Arthur locked it to prevent her escape.

"Tell me what's wrong," he said to her softly.

"You! You're the problem! You told me you would keep in touch after the Fischer job, but you never contacted me, not once in two years. No letters, no phone calls, no visits, nothing!" she cried. Arthur looked out of the car window and out into the rain. He didn't want to see everything that she felt for two years because of him. It would hurt him too much.

"You gave me a wrong cellphone number. It said it was disconnected," Ariadne ranted, "You promised to help me through the nights I couldn't sleep after inception. You didn't! You think you can just come back into my life after two years? No, you can't, and I don't want you to!"

Ariadne breathed heavily. She was afraid that she was going to cry.

"Are you done?" asked Arthur warily.

"You were supposed to follow me back to Paris," Ariadne whispered quietly. What she said was so soft that it was barely discernible, but Arthur heard it. His eyes revealed his shock, but it was quickly hidden again.

"Take me home now, please," Ariadne said quietly. Arthur complied, and they drove back to Paris in a lonely silence.

They were halfway back to Paris when Arthur realized she was crying.

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><p>Hope you guys like the chapter! Once again, constructive criticism is welcome.<p> 


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